How to start reading poetry

Choose one poem

Open a small selection or a collection and pick a poem whose opening line, subject or sound interests you. You do not need to read the whole volume or learn the history of poetry first.

If older vocabulary keeps getting in the way, try a contemporary poem. You can return to the harder text later; you are choosing a starting point.

Read it through, then try it aloud

On the first read, just reach the end. On the second, read aloud or quietly to yourself if convenient: where do you want to pause, which word repeats and where does the pace change?

Try hearing the whole sentence even when it spans several lines. A line break and a punctuation mark offer different reasons to pause; try two readings and compare how they feel.

Name what you have already noticed

Start with something concrete: who is speaking, whom they address, which object or image appears and what changes between the opening and ending. The speaker is not necessarily the poet.

You do not have to name the meter or find a symbol in every object. Describe one shift in your own words: expectation becomes refusal, or noise gives way to silence.

Work on one unclear passage

Look up one word or read a short commentary on the poem. Then return to the poem itself and see whether that particular passage makes more sense.

If an interpretation differs from your first impression, check which lines support it. You can leave a question open and try another poem; with difficult reading, a small passage is a useful place to start.

Leave a short note

This reader’s note was invented for the guide and contains no quotation from a real poem:

The opening sounds calm to me, but one repeated word makes the ending uneasy. I want to read it aloud again and notice where the voice changes.

When saving the poet’s words, copy them accurately, preserve the line breaks and record the poem, collection and page in your edition. Keep your own explanation separate. The guide to taking reading notes offers more options.

Return to the poem you chose

Next time, reread one poem and try another from the collection. Notice which you want to read again, without committing to finish the book in order.

In Pagetime, you can keep quotes and your own thoughts with the collection; put the poem’s title in the note text. The free version includes up to 5 books and 20 page scans with text recognition in total. Notes and the timer work offline without an account; a subscription removes the book and scan limits. Pagetime is coming to iPhone and Android; leave your email below for launch news. One poem and a few words of your own are enough to start.

This independent guide is published by Pagetime and is not authorized, sponsored or endorsed by Apple Inc. or Google LLC.